Meaning & Origins

From an Old English personal name derived from ælf ‘elf, supernatural being’ + wine ‘friend’. This was not especially common in Britain either before or after the Norman Conquest, but it is popular in the United States. The reasons for this are not entirely clear; association with Calvin may be a factor. A more plausible (though less elevated) explanation is that this was the name given to the naughty chipmunk in a popular television cartoon series of the 1960s.